The Complete Australian Guide to Pregnancy and Birth
Everything you need as you journey through pregnancy and prepare for a positive birth experience.
'I wish someone had told me!' It's a phrase uttered by countless women after they give birth for the first time.
Here’s the book that shares the wisdom of women and their birth stories, so that you can make informed and empowered decisions.
The Complete Australian Guide to Pregnancy and Birth draws on the expertise of dozens of doctors, midwives and other health specialists to offer the most comprehensive and up-to-date information about pregnancy, labour, birth and early postpartum in Australia.
Australia’s best pregnancy book is now here.
Sophie Walker
Hi there, I’m Sophie — host of the top-rated weekly podcast Australian Birth Stories (15 million downloads and counting), creator of educational programs for pregnancy and motherhood, and mother to 3 boys under 10.
I have a Masters in Public Health, and for as long as I can remember, I’ve been deeply interested in babies and birth; a fascination that only amplified when I became pregnant with my eldest son, Niko.
Despite planning for a drug-free birth centre birth, what unfolded was a lengthy 36 hour labour with a hospital transfer, induction, epidural, episiotomy, forceps, and a postpartum haemorrhage…
Along with my new baby and my aching postpartum body, I carried significant physical and emotional trauma home from the hospital. My second birth was the complete opposite; positive, redemptive, and empowering.
Research claims that a positive birth experience – regardless of where or how a woman is birthing – is dependent on two things:
- A pregnant woman has the opportunity to make informed decisions.
- Those decisions are respected and supported by her care provider.
After interviewing over 300 Australian women I wholeheartedly agree with this research. Women have positive births every day – in the comfort of their home, in surgical theatres, in birth centre bathtubs and on the bed in hospital labour wards. And the foundation of these positive birth experiences? Birth education. The podcast is a beautiful collection of stories that have become a powerful, informative and, often entertaining, resource. It’s endorsed by the Australian College of Midwives and currently has over 8 million downloads. Sitting alongside the podcast is a series of online education courses that feature interviews with leading specialists in perinatal health.
